Filters (which and when?)

[Bill]

Given your track record you should use two UV filters :twothumbs:

 

[jdgibney]

Pretty sure you need to hit the same lens with a puck without the UV filter attached....if you really want to prove it

tangent story.. The game was on TV, but the broadcast booth was really far from the rink in the baseball pressbox behind home plate. I was interested to see the replay to see if they mentioned it. it happened real fast, it was deflected towards the hole and went right through, but the play by play guy just said 'puck is deflected out of the rink', didn't mention the mishap... though on TV you could clearly see it. I was pulling away so it didn't take a direct hit, the glass popped out all over the platform, and the puck deflected into the outfield. After cleaning up and switching to my longer glass, I saw a puck in the outfield and asked an attendant to grab it for me as a souvenir of my misshap. He grabbed it and brought it back, but it was a practice puck (blank), someone had already grabbed the culprit...

good times.

 

[HomerJ]

I think UV filter protection is 100% BS. If you drop a lens and the UV filter breaks its just going to send shards into your front element. I guess if you tap it the UV could crack and the font element could be saved.....

If you want real protecion, get a lens hood.

I was thinking more of scratches than a drop... A hood is a good idea. Thanks Bill!

 

[neiloro]

I was shooting a hockey game at Fenway park earlier this year and while getting some wide angle scenic/action shots with our papers 17-35 2.8, a puck came through the photo hole and smashed the uv filter, but the front element glass is fine... Took the hit to the ring of the filter and we can't get the ring off, the threading is toast..

A quality camera store will have a filter wrench they could use to help you get it off. I recently managed to get a smashed filter off by stretching a rubber band around the rim of the filter, which gave me enough grip to get it off by hand.

 

[HomerJ]

I need to get a case or pouch or something to carry my filters in. Any recommendations?

 

[IntrepidXJ]

A quality camera store will have a filter wrench they could use to help you get it off. I recently managed to get a smashed filter off by stretching a rubber band around the rim of the filter, which gave me enough grip to get it off by hand.

You'd have to have a quality camera store within 250 miles for that to be an option

 

[Conor B]

HomerJ I just use an old insulated lunch bag to carry all of my filters. It clips nicely around my tripod for when I set up to shoot. The only problem is I still have o keep the filters in their individual pouches. Kinesis sells a filter case that clips on your tripod as well. My lunch bag option is about $56 cheaper though. http://www.kgear.com/store/f/f169.html

 

[Nik]

i need to get a polarizer. Should i go with B+W, Heliopan or Singh-Ray?

 

[pixie1339]

I need to get a case or pouch or something to carry my filters in. Any recommendations?

This is what I use to carry a couple filters with me while I hike. I just attach it to my backpack, so they're always handy.

http://optechusa.com/filter-pack.html

 

[pixie1339]

i need to get a polarizer. Should i go with B+W, Heliopan or Singh-Ray?

All of those brands are good, so I would just pick whichever is the best value. The only thing I would advise against is the slim circular polarizers by B + W. You can't fit a normal lens cap on them, and they give you a flimsy plastic one that falls off. I eventually stopped using the cap, and after a while the filter got scratched beyond repair on a bush while I was hiking. I replaced it with a Marumi, which has been a great filter.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003QSG0HK/?tag=backcountrypo-20

 

[xjblue]

In my enthusiasm to get started my first DSLR kit lenses both got cheap (but not cheap enough) UV filters "for protection and UV benefits", an ND filter w/ too small stop down for effective waterfalls like I wanted unless in deep shade, and a circular polarizer (which I have long since lost). I had heard the rule not to put cheap filters in front of expensive glass but didn't know what filters to get or where to get them at the time, and figured well it was kit glass anyway (though nice for kit glass). The contrast detection auto focus on that camera did not agree with the cheap UV filters during prime golden hour landscapes or trying to catch the action during an air show, so off they came and lesson learned. The short kit lens now could use a new front element as since then it has been chipped/scratched a bit, I haven't looked in to costs but that is a backup now and though still used on occasion I haven't wanted to repair or re-outfit it since upgrading.

As I upgraded both lenses, each new one would ship with a best available Hoya clear filter which goes on the moment I pop the lens cap off for the first time. The auto focus remains happy and these stay on almost all the time. I've replaced one recently as it was getting beat up after a few years, way easier than sending the lens somewhere and probably comparable in cost to a Cannon repair it sounds like. The front elements on both are still perfect as the day both lenses arrived. Also just finally picked up a new CPL for reflection/automotive/rock art shots and good Hoya ND for those long exposure situations, only hassle now is removing the clear to add one of the others. I need to find a good filter storage solution ( I picked one up sight unseen and don't like that it has mesh pockets, I'm not putting a $$ filter in contact with that stuff. A good one will help me avoid lazily shooting through both filters in the future ; ).

All of the lenses in my camera system come with hoods that store on the lens backwards, and they pretty well always stay on unless they get in the way of use of a flash (rarely).

 

[IntrepidXJ]

I like my Hoya HD Circular Polarizers

 

[Laura]

I'm new to filters as well and getting ready for a 10 day fall trip in Utah. I've used a circular polarizing filter once and liked how it intensified colors. As I was doing research on polarizers/GND filters and studying the examples of what each filter does I wondered if quite a bit of the effects could also be achieved in Lightroom. True? Not true? FWIW I have a Canon 5D Mark III so if I bought a filter I'd have to spend $$$ (adhering to the no cheap glass over expensive glass rule) and wondering if it's worth it.

 

[gnwatts]

My $.02: Try not using a filter at first. Rely on time of day/lighting conditions, and use the processing time to really learn the software you have. Then start integrating filters you feel may help you make better images, if needed.

 

[neiloro]

Beware of polarizers. On wide angle shots, only part of the sky will be that intense blue. You will have a HORIZONTAL gradient that you can't fix. The deep blue skies can be replicated in post. What a polarizer is useful for, that CAN'T be done in post is eliminate reflections on water or wet surfaces. Glossy leaves can look more intense when you eliminate the sheen.

 

[Nick]

I no longer use a polarizer, but the wide angle gradient issue hasn't been a problem for me unless I'm shooting on a low, flat horizon like the ocean. In varied terrain like canyons and mountains, it's not an issue.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

In varied terrain like canyons and mountains, it's not an issue.

I noticed it on my photos when I used to use one...which I no longer do unless it's to remove reflections.

 

[Laura]

Good advice all, thanks! I think I'll go with no filter except to remove sheen.

 

[Yvonne]

I guess I'm ready to buy a graduated ND filter. This weekend while shooting fall foliage was so hard due to the mostly overcast and washed out skies.
So I'm considering in investing into a grad ND filter.
Any recommendations?
Circular or rectangular?
I'm mostly using 77mm lenses, so it will be a costly investment.
Anything else I need to know?

 

[Nick]

I guess I'm ready to buy a graduated ND filter. This weekend while shooting fall foliage was so hard due to the mostly overcast and washed out skies.
So I'm considering in investing into a grad ND filter.
Any recommendations?
Circular or rectangular?
I'm mostly using 77mm lenses, so it will be a costly investment.
Anything else I need to know?

Filter lovers will hate me for saying this, but in my opinion, if you're going to invest in filters and bother with them, you should definitely start shooting in raw and start mastering software like Lightroom and perhaps Nik Efex first. Granted, sometimes nothing but a filter will do, but you'd be amazed what you can do in post with a raw file and good software.